Vintage 08. With the beer gushing out of the bottle, the pour had to be fast, leaving a healthy two finger dark tan head atop a solid brown body with amber edges. The smell is mostly cherries, with some obvious tartness and funk. The oak is also very apparent.

Wow. Extremely tart all the way through, but especially up front. A blast of cherries hits you at the beginning and never really goes away, dominating the flavor until it dissolves into a candy sweet tartness in the finish/aftertaste. The oak is much less noticeable in the taste than the smell, though it eventually makes an appearance in the aftertaste. It's a good thing I like cherries, because this beer has little more to offer. It's fantastic in its ability to overwhelm the palate with its intense flavor.

Mouthfeel is good. Well carbonated, but a bit thicker than I would like it to be, since it is not as "airy" on the palate. This also brings down its drinkability, though there certainly won't be any problem finishing it.

16.9oz bottle into a large Allagash chalice. Bottle says brewed in May of 2008 and bottled in March 2008. I'm not sure how they pulled that one off. Anyways, it appears to be a 2008 vintage. On with the review...

A: Bottle opens with foam rising slowly out of the bottle. Pours a murky brown/deep red with a thin dense off white head. Carbonation steadily rises from the bottom, keeping the head firmly in place.

S: Complex nose. Most certainly a healthy dose of tartness. I'm also picking up hints of sweetness and must. I'm not sure what rhubarbs smell like, but they might be comtributig to the sweetness.

T: Obviously very tart up front. Tart cherries and light vinegar overwhelm at first, followed by a pleasent subtle subtle sweetness. It hits the back of my throat with a shock of sour, leaving a slght burn. Once the sourness passes, I'm left with a relatively thick coat of light fruit sweetness. This really is an interesting beer.

M: Medium bodied and very well carbonated. Feels great on the tounge, matches the style well.

D: This one is keeping me intrigued. I'm no expert on Oud Bruins, but I think this is an excellent brew. Highly recommended if you are interested in sour styles.

Appearance: Murky, dark brown beer that shows hints of red in the light. A flat, light brown head forms slowly and drops to a millimeter cap, solid ring around the edges, solid lace.Odor: Tart cherry up front, it could be psychosomatic, but I do pick up rhubarb in the nose (Props to grandma, for introducing me to this wonderful fruit when I was young.). Musty cellar aromas in the background. Memories of Rodenbach in the house.Consistency: Carbonation is huge, bubbly, but equally matched to the intensity of flavor in this beer, I would wager tasting this beer without it would be quite disgusting.Taste: Malt and fruit sweetness, flavors of sour cherry, vegetable bitterness and a little bit of phenolic/funky character. The finish on this beer is interesting and not entirely pleasant. As the beer cleans itself off the tongue, it leaves the requisite cherry tartness and above stated vegetable/herbal bitterness.

This is one outstanding beer. All of the tart fruitiness and with the subtle malt backbone that reminds me that it is indeed beer. Shying away from cider or vinegar notes but with the power of 8.5%, this is a seriously good session.

The beer pours a color that straddles ruby and middle brown hues. A modest haze persists. A soft eggshell white head forms a thin sheet on the beer and holds firm throughout the session. No real lacing or legging- these beers aren't exactly know for that.

Aromas of tart cherries dominate the nose while backup notes of crabapples, under-rippened berries, and red wine vinous notes give great complexity to the tart aromas. Light woods blend in well with the vinous/winey notes. Light musty notes rise as if aged with cork.

Flavors begin actually softer than the nose suggests because of a firm malt base of sun-kissed amber malts, light breads, and even chocolate. This allows for a building of tart layers starting with those bold tart cherries. Throw in the grapes/red wine, raspberries/blackberries/red currants, green apples, and woodsy notes in subsequent sips give great surprises as the beer warms.

The acidity of the beer is buffered by those tempering malts, keeping the brunt of the sour beer to ease onto the palate in a very crisp and thirst quenching way. Light carbonation allows for a subtle creaminess early but for the ultimate acidic palate-cleansing sourness late, and with low-lying astringency.

This beer is less abrasive than Rodenbach, but with the intensity and flavor that is expected. Comparisons to Duchese du Burgogne come to mind, but with less of a vinegar/cidery component. Job well done!

It has an ideal aroma for this style. Oak, vanilla, black cherry, and the balsamic vinegar is there but not overpowering or off-putting like I've found in other examples of Oud Bruin.

With a very smooth entry we're greeted by warm vanilla tones and dark fruits (cranberry, black cherry, pomegranite, maybe currants). Just a touch of balsamic vinegar and a zip of refreshing sourness all finished by light, red wine-like tannins.

Awesomely drinkable and one I've taken for granted that we've had so readily available in Springfield, Mo for over a year now. Go Norway.

Vintage 2008Bottled March 08 with a best by date of March 11.Brewed in May 08.

Pours a deep crimson red-brown with a light tan head. Aroma is fruit, tartness, and sourness. Slight whiff of alcohol in the nose as well. Nice sourness in the flavor followed by a slight taste of the alcohol in the back of the throat. Ever so slight tate of the oak barrels used. The sourness I would say is medium on this one at this date. Medium level of acidity. Mouthfeel is light/medium.

Overall, an excellent brew! A little expensive at $11.50/bottle though. I love that I have 2 more in the cellar that will hopefully turn more sour with some time.

This beer has a great dark mahogany/crimson appearance with a well-retained three-finger light beige head and good lacing.

The aroma is very interesting. Sweet and sour cherries have a big presence in this one, along with oak, balsamic vinegar, and maybe just a slight nail polish note.

The flavor is excellent and has no significant nail polish presence. This one has benefited from its time in the -bals it seems. Great oaky flavors. This seems to be somewhat of a Flemish red to me, with great fruity flavor (cherry mostly, with some other red berry notes) as well as a substantial vinegar presence. Medium tartness level.

Palate is very smooth and creamy with medium-full body and only mild acidity.

Overall, I really liked this one. It was very drinkable for a sour ale. I still don't know how to pronounce the name of this brewery. Why can't they all be as easy as "Stone" or "Bell's"?

This is one of the most spectacular, outstanding libations I have ever encountered. It is certainly not for the inexperienced drinker, however. It is brutal and relentless and wildly intoxicating, figuratively speaking.

A - It pours a deep brown hue, almost black with red highlights and luminescence.

S - Solvent alcohol fuses with vinegar and mustiness in such an unusual and sublime way; it is tart and fruity too, with notes of cherry and raspberry.

T - The flavor is way sour and tart; vinegar and alcohol are quite evident, and yet this heavy-handedness is so sophisticated. This is the sour beer equivalent of RIS. Haters just aren't there yet!

M - The feel is quite bright, even after the beer appears to be still. Great feel. Exceptional.

D - Off the hook for those with the cojones to handle a powerhouse of a sour beer like this one.

Bottle says it was brewed May of 08 and bottled in March of the same year. I think it's a misprint as I believe this was originally brewed in 2006, and then blended and bottled in 2008.

Poured into a Duvel tulip, dark brown with ruby edges, a finger of off-white/tan head that left some minute lacing on the glass. Nice aroma on this one, with the wood notes coming out first, followed up by a pleasant sour and earthiness with maybe a touch of lemon and cherry. Taste is very nice. A good dose of sourness is there, but it's not bracing or overbearing, with a solidly sweet and bready malt backing. There's even an underlying chocolate taste that keeps things very interesting, which melds nicely with the oak and sour. Not much in the way of funk in this brew, but I like that in a Flanders style ale. Light lemon and cherry that were in the nose can be found in the taste, as well as a dash of vinegar. Somewhat sweet at first, but a dry, and sour finish. This is a great starter sour, much akin to the likes of Rodenbach Grand Cru. Medium-full bodied with the perfect amount of carbonation. Not too light, and not too prickly. Overall, this is a solid Flanders Oud Bruin and definitely a great place to start if you're new to sours. Not overly tart and tongue-trashing, but still sour and incredibly drinkable for the high ABV.

Another of the brews received from Stanzi after her recent trip to Frisco. Maybe they do things different in Norway because the label says this beer was brewed in May 08, bottled in March 08 and best by March 11. They seem to have the ability to bottle beer before they brew it.

Poured into tulip. The beer poured a deep reddish brown with about an inch of dark khaki colored head that dissipated quickly and left no lacing.

Yup, this is a sour ale. The huge sour notes hit me in the nose during the pour. A big whiff from the glass really proved the point, this is one sour little puppy. There were some underlying fruit and wine notes, and perhaps a touch of yeast spiceyness. The flavors were almost identical, dominating sourness over fruit and yeast, with a very dry, puckering finish.

The body was a bit on the thin side, but if a sour beer can be smooth, this one was. Drinkability is, of course, going to depend on your taste for the sour stuff. I liked this beer, but wouldn't have more than one bottle at a time.

Overall, a really good sour beer. Worth a shot if you see it and a must try for the sour fans.

Taste: Lots of sourness right off the bat. A bit vinegary, but still very nice. Red currants play a large role, as does cherry lemonade. Gets a lot smoother toward the end of the session, which is nice (though I really enjoyed the big-time tartness).

Appearance - Cherry red in color, lively head with large bubbles formed on the pour. Resolution to a ring with slight mid-zone cover. No lacing. Slight haze.

Smell - Refreshing nose, the aroma carries across my table. Tart cherries, sweet nose. Very bright and quite a statement! Hard to "smell through" to find anything more to this offering.

Taste - Wow, what a tart acetic slap in the face! To those who like that hop-induced lip pucker, they ain't got nothin' on a Oud Bruin. Some tart apple, cherry and woody varieties as well. Actually expands as it warms. Picking up some subtle malty finishing flavors and a crisp finish.

Mouthfeel - Nice carbonation leads the flavors around the mouth. Great dry finish. To say "smooth" for something with such a tart character really says something.

Drinkability - 8.5% is well-hidden. This is a very nice Oud bruin and a very enjoyable sipper. An outstanding example of the style. Not for the faint of heart!

A-Mahogany body that is so foggy it is nearly opaque. Pours with a 1-2 finger rust colored head that has great retention and some lacing left in the glass.

S- Oak, cherry pits, and vinegar come through the most with a slight lactic sourness in the background.

T- The main character in the flavor is oak and lots of it, there is also a hint of phenols throughout the flavor. A hint of dark fruits come through for the finish as well as a big alcohol heat. What lingers is a minimal amount of lactic sourness and an alcohol heat.

M- Medium weight body and a creamy mouthfeel. Body is very creamy but some alcohol astringency prevents it from being totally smooth.

D-This is a decent flanders red overall. The sourness has perhaps faded a bit but this is a great example of an oak aged sour. What is clear about this brew is that it has a higher ABV-which is blatant in the flavor and mouthfeel.

Pours a murkey reddish brown color with a small and lasting brownish head. Very acidic in the nose, sour black cherry tartness and wood, lots of wood. A very oaky flavor as well, vinous dark fruits and very acidic, notes of coffee and smokey chocolate malt beneath the sourness. Full bodied, well carbonated for the style, but a bit hard to drink though.

Shared by schen9303. March 2008 vintage with a best before date of 2011. Poured into a Lindemann's flute.

A: Gentle pour so as not to disturb the sediment yields a nice 2.5 finger off-white fine head that's rough around the edges. Retention is decent but not overwhelming. Beer is a cloudy reddish brown. Lacing is stringy and sticky though sparse in areas.

S: Sour cherries and prunes and over-ripe strawberries are the fruits behind the overwhelming vinegar presence. Also very strong and aggressive booziness lets me know exactly what I'm getting into. Gentle oak rounds out the aroma's, peaking towards the end.

T: Sour cherries and vinegar at the start with the vinegar never really going away. A bit strong for my tastes here as this covers the much more subtle red fruit notes such as the strawberries and prunes that are barely noticeable. Oak barrel aging makes its presence felt, smoothing out the flavors. Finish here is overly messy and just keep souring and souring. Aftertaste is actually more sour than the beer itself, making me pucker long after the beer is gone from my palate.

M: Medium bodied, lightly carbonated, smooth in the mouth, but tingly and vibrant going down. Finish again, is overly messy to the point where it eclipses the rest of the experience.

D: I can see why this is a highly regarded brew and while it may not be for me, I have to give credit where credit is due. Strong and upfront with massive unapologetic flavors, this is no doubt a bold beer. Feel is amazing and helps to meld the outherwise out of control sourness. Highly recommended if you like sours but remember this may be unlike any other you've had.

T: Sour cherries up front meld with the flavors from the sherry barrels to give the beer a woody aftertaste. Perhaps the rhubarb provides the tartness here. It's a little acidic and a little oxidized as well.

M: The carbonation fits well with the style. I thought the lighter body worked with the higher amount of carbonation - which would also suit this beer for aging.

D: With the major aspects of this beer being sour, sticky, sweet, and slightly acidic, this size bottle is proper.

Overall, I'm glad I got to try this again (not sure what vintage the first one I had was). It's nice to see what this beer is like as it warms to room temp. too - the first time I had it was in the negatives outside!

Pours blood red, with a thin tan head. Looks pretty normal for an Oud Bruin. A little clearer than I expected, but, looks alright. The smell has old strawberries, which I've come to know in wild bacteria, but isn't exactly my favorite smell in these, with eggs and vinegar, not quite as vinegary as some in the class. Again, doesn't stand out, isn't particularly bad, and it has the right kind of characteristics, but not my favorite. The taste has oranges, the acidic, very citric part, with a slight bready toastiness, which is slightly unexpected, and nice. It's still very sour, very acidic, but not very tart - if that makes sense, maybe not enough sweetness. The old strawberries come back, which remind me of old food, old fruit, a bit of old cherries. And surprisingly, I can taste a bit of wood. I expected a little more of that pleasant tartness, like young/ripe cherries and strawberries (this tastes overripe, to reiterate), blended with a pleasant sweetness. This kind of works towards what I want, then kind of falls short in taste. Finishes very acidic, it's actually hard to tell whether it's sweet or dry, and that may be the main problem. The body is nice, medium-full, fuller than I expected, moderate carbonation, pleasant for the style. Overall, it's decent, I would maybe have it again, definitely wouldn't pay for it. It's not the most impressive, which means that if I were going to this style, I would probably go to something new, or something else that I like better. I think it may have been a little young, or could've used some blending with an older version.

Picked up this bottle at the Hop City in Atlanta, GA. Dave convinced me that this beer is a must and I was glad to see fresh cases of this being newly opened on the display floor. This is a 2008 bottle that is served up in a snifter.

A: This came out a pretty dark brown. I was expecting more of a red color but this is brown. Red hues only come out when held to the light, but they are faint. THis beer is BROWN. The pour got me little in the way of head, its more like a bubbly mass. Off white in color, a thin ring of bubbles rests on the body. A very little amount sticks to the glass. The body is dark but appears to be clear.

S: Big ole blast of vinegar hits me first. Its sour and tart at the same time. Has a bit of an alcohol presence that is mixing with a wood aroma as well, kinda smells like a varnish but in a good way. Has a bit of a fruity wine aroma as well on the back end of all that vinegar. THe aroma is pleasantly powerful if that makes sense.

T: This beer is a curveball. All that big vinegar presence is incredibly muted in the flavor. Matter of fact, this entire beer is incredibly subtle in flavor. Light notes of sour and funk start things off. A beautiful wet wood presence, oak maybe. Then then there is a light and sour fruit presence. Possibly cranberry and cherry notes. Vinegar brings an incredibly light tartness on the back end. I would not have expected this at all from the nose.

M: This a medium bodied brew with a medium carbonation. This beer is nicely dry like a good red wine. Its not too dry, just wonderfully dry. ABV is the faintest of warmth on the throat. nothign crazy. Tart and sour on the palate. Aftertaste is that light vinegar and some tart cranberries.

D: This beer has everything. Its in your face in the nose, but subtle in the nose. It is sweet, tart, and sour all at the same time. It is one of the most pleasant beers I have had. Its not crazy and its not going to get marks for that, but it will get marks for complexity and subtlety. Its wicked to be honest. It really assaults the senses and I dig that. I can see why Dave is all about this beer. Good stuff and worth the price of admission.